Why a new culture of innovation needs to be at the heart of the 'digital' NHS

This approach must be cultivated through leaders who model and create more permissive environments to foster innovation; making it clear that digital innovation is part of the core professional responsibilities of NHS staff; and support digitally-enabled innovation in care to become an everyday activity. In combination these factors and the conditions for successful digital innovation feel contradictory to the existing dominant health care culture and processes. Effective digital innovation will mean a disruption in the de facto healthcare culture and leadership, and we must recognise and deal with the discomfort this may create. But there is a real risk that without a clear and considered approach to culture change when merging NHS Digital, NHSX and NHS England, instead of transformation it will simply result in the creation of two siloed ‘digital directorates’ at the centre that remain divorced from more ‘mainstream’ decisions and policies. If the NHS is going to embrace the disruptive leadership and culture it needs to unlock digital transformation, NHS England has a clear opportunity to model the behaviours the rest of the healthcare system will need to demonstrate. It will be disruptive, but without it digitally-enabled care will remain an add on and we will be left with a healthcare system that has one foot stuck in the past - and so culture change should be a priority.